John
Paul Young has left Popstars [Live], the second
judge to walk away from the embattled reality
TV series in less than two days.

Whether
he quit or was pushed is not yet clear, and may
not even matter, as the behind-the-scenes drama
at the series continues to unfold.

A
statement released jointly from Young's management,
the Seven Network and production company Screentime
said his role with the show had "concluded"
and that he had "fulfilled all of his commitments".

His
departure comes only a day after Christine Anu
quit after pressure from the producers to take
a harder line in her judging, saying it would
"compromise her personal integrity"
if she stayed.

The
departures mean Molly Meldrum is the last judge
standing, joined now by voice coach Shauna Jensen,
who took Young's seat a fortnight ago, and record
producer Trevor Steele, who replaced Anu.

Since
surrendering his seat to Jensen, Young had been
reporting from backstage with another sidelined
judge, Tania Doko.

The
series continues to struggle in the ratings, hovering
just under the million-viewer mark. Not helping
is the fact that the off-the-set tension is far
more interesting than anything happening on stage.

Anu
was not getting along with Meldrum, say insiders,
and relations between Doko and Meldrum, and Meldrum
and Steele are frosty at best. Relations between
Seven and Screentime are said to be "strained".

The
tension escalated after the show attracted a storm
of criticism for its soft-touch judgements during
the first live concert show, two weeks ago.

The
laughably glowing praise, which most observers
agree erred on the side of being too kind, precipitated
a tense meeting between Seven's chief executive,
David Leckie, and the show's producers, in which
Leckie is said to have "spoken his mind".

Since
then, say the producers, there has been mounting
pressure on the judges to take a "harder
and more critical line on the performers".